Dear Area 8 Members

The BOD December meeting is always a busy one as we close 2013 business and get ready for 2014. My time started on Wednesday for a day and a half of Planning Committee meetings. These meetings focused on increasing member value, support for entry level programs, improvement of member services, discussion of various business opportunities and a review of different governance models that would aid the growth of the club. The general BOD meeting began Friday. Here are some highlights you may want to know:

President’s Review and Search

Interim President Lisa Noble presented an excellent overview of Staff’s work the past three months. I was impressed by how fortunate SCCA is to have so many smart, dedicated people that work for this club, both paid and unpaid. For the record, we are also fortunate that Lisa was willing to serve as Interim President. While we conduct our search for SCCA’s next President, she is doing a superb job in all respects. Speaking of the search, we are receiving resumes of possible candidates through January 15, 2014 at presidentsearch@scca.com. I am on the Search Committee that will vet potential candidates.

Financial Stuff

One of the tasks of any business at year-end is to review the Financials and make a new budget for the next year. This was accomplished with great detail and few surprises. In keeping with a non-profit corporation, we didn’t make a profit. But we were right on the predicted budget numbers. Our Investment Account continues to grow through savvy investing and your club is on very solid financial ground. VP Finance Rick Ehret and Treasurer Mike Lewis deserve accolades for their stellar performance. We were also helped by some strong income from SCCA Pro Racing.

Sponsorship and Marketing

The BOD was briefed on our Sponsorship and Marketing efforts. This revenue is down as we struggle, like everyone else in the racing industry, to find good sponsors. We do have many sponsors that stay with us through thick and thin, but we are always looking for new ones that will have programs that directly benefit our members. Several new deals will be announced soon.

Membership

We will add approximately 2000 net members in 2013, bringing our total to 42,500. About 11,000 new members will join the club, but we continue to lose members in the first and second years that don’t re-up. We recognize that member retention needs to occur at the Regional level. When the Region connects with its new members, they renew. And if they stay more than 5 years, odds say the members will remain for a very long time. The BOD and Staff are working to provide Regions with more tools to reach their members and extend member value.

Runoffs Review and Qualification Criteria

We recapped the 2013 Runoffs and discussed plans for 2014, including some logistics for Laguna Seca. I have attached a chart showing the qualification criteria to qualify for the Runoffs: click here to see chart

Since there is a Regional path starting in 2014, it is a bit more confusing, but it should also provide better access for those who wish to race more locally through the season.
As part of this discussion, we also considered the relevance of the tow fund. I am interested in your feedback. Is this fund still relevant? Would you prefer to see the tow fund abolished and entrant costs lowered? Let me know.

Club Racing

Make sure you read FasTrack this month as the BOD approved many rules changes aimed at improving competition. We discuss each and every proposed change, without exception, to make sure our member’s best interests are being served. If you have not read Sportscar this month, please take a look at Jim Wheeler’s column about class management. The CRB “gets it”. IMHO, these guys do a fabulous job with very complex subject matter. You are part of this process, as the CRB depends on your letters to effect change. This is your club; don’t be shy. Last item in Club Racing was a discussion about the “rules season”. As more Divisions race year-round it clouds the current cutoff dates to maintain our rules season. Also, what constitutes a rule change vs. a competition adjustment? This is an ongoing discussion.

SRF Gen 3

SCCA Enterprises is about to launch one of the most exciting programs in their history. The current motors are reaching their service life with many now difficult to rebuild to exacting standards. A new drivetrain has been in test and deliveries will commence in Q2 of 2014. The new engine is more powerful, making the Gen 3 cars faster than current cars. Over the next 3 years, SRF will morph to SRF3 as cars are converted. Yes, you will need to spend a few bucks to convert to the new specs. But, we are taking steps to ensure the investment will be worth it.

Rallycross (RallyX)

A new site acquisition brochure has been created for Regions to approach landowners when seeking a RallyX site. It will be up on the website shortly. Also, the RallyX National Championship will move to a new site in Iowa for 2014. The RXB has a vacant position at the moment. Please let me know if you are interested.

SCCA Hall of Fame

This year’s inductees to the SCCA Hall of Fame have been announced. They are Kathy Barnes, Bob Bondurant, Dan Gurney, Dr. Bob Hubbard and Jim Downing and GLD’s own, Peter Hylton. Way to go Peter! This is the first class where all the recipients are very much alive. It should make for a very entertaining evening in Charlotte.

As always, let me know if there is anything you need.

Bill

p.s. This letter is due in large part to Bob Schrader pushing me to report on BoD meetings. Also, It helped that Steve Harris, fellow board member wrote most of the above.